In this news article, this is what SageWalk has said:
“We do know that our EMT-trained staff worked tirelessly with the student until the AirLink emergency helicopter arrived on the scene, at which time the student’s care was turned over to the AirLink medics,” a statement from SageWalk said Wednesday. “SageWalk considers student safety our number one priority and takes this incident very seriously. Over the course of our 12 year history, our program has adhered to the highest standards of care and we currently meet or exceed all industry and state standards.
“We were the first wilderness program to be individually accredited by the Northwest Association of Accredited Schools, and we are licensed by the State of Oregon to work with students who are experiencing issues with substance abuse and are also licensed by the State of Oregon as both an Outdoor Youth Program and Private School.”
Now, perhaps it is an omission on the part of the journalist, but I see no mention of sympathies going out to the students family, no mention of an apology; I see nothing even remotely similar to this.
The simply point out that their “EMT-trained” staff worked with the student. Well that is NOT a first. We’ve heard that one before. How many of the other kids who died in the “care” of a program were first worked on by and “EMT-trained” staff, before dying.
Their other weak claim is that they were the first wilderness program to be individually accredited by the Northwest Association of Accredited Schools. And licensed by Oregon.
This just goes to show that licensing by a state agency is NOT an answer to preventing abuse and neglect from occurring in these youth programs. Licensing means nothing when no one from that agency is there on a 24/7 basis monitoring these programs.
The Northwest Association of Accredited Schools has accredited many other schools where deaths have occurred, also rendering this accredition virtually null.
Questions have been raised before about the Northwest Association of Accredited Schools ability to to apply its own rules to schools and follow licensing mandates in other states where it accredits schools. (See the April 27, 2005 Deseret News article by Ami Joi Bryson “Boise accreditation firm questioned”)
NAAS giving accreditation to these types of programs has been likened to the proverbial “wolf watching over the sheep.”
How do we alert the public to these types of scams? Each year there is a new group of parent who become prey to these types of scams. We need to spread the word so that families in need of help can stop being the target of these so called “therapy companies.”
{ 6 comments… read them below or add one }
To begin, I am disgusted by the level of ignorance in this article. Clearly written by someone who has never experienced the individual treatments of this institution, these accusations are without experience, nor reference. I refuse to believe that someone willing to take the time to write this article could not be open to the opportunities an institution such as Sagewalk has to offer, nor giving proper credit where it is due. The majority of the statements that were commented on were in regards to legal matters, certainly not to family members. I’m sure to say that sincerity and sympathies were paid to the family by those who were present at the time of death, but I cannot believe for a second that a school bent on emotional and physical rehabilitation would disregard something of that nature.
If for any reason you believe that the school “may not care”, perhaps consider the possibility that it MAY NOT BE THEIR FAULT! If anyone in support of this article were to imagine a guest in your home falling dead in your living room, unexpectedly, would you feel like you caused it? Consider that every employee of Sagewalk started their career there to ASSIST those in need of help, you cannot possibly believe that they signed up, or founded such an organization to HURT children? The amount of confusion and disproportionate anger in these statements infuriates me.
Robert McNamara, former Defense Secretary once reiterated the importance of sympathizing with your enemys. This lesson got us out of the Cuban missle crisis. Why not try and see it from their eyes before letting your foul, uneducated mouth run? You may start a war you did not wish for in the first place…
To add, why would you be so angry in the first place? Your paying someone to take care of the child you feel you cannot care for in the first place. If you don’t believe this institution should take care of your child, then maybe you should try to do so. Thats what parenting is all about.
I would like to add the fact that I am a SageWalk Alumni. During my 63 days of therapy, the counselors showed nothing but the utmost care and attention to every single camper who was there, including myself. There was never one instance in which they put any of the campers lives in jeopardy by pushing us beyond our limits. It is a tragic event that such a young life was lost, but it cannot be blamed on abuse or negligence by the camp administration or staff. I would be fully willing to testify that the staff worked their hardest keep us safe, comfortable, and within our limits, and taking every measure, even if we as students thought it unnecessary.
I read the original article and the very first thing they did was express their sympathy. The investigation is continuing, so really, you can’t expect them to say much more at this point.
As for your statement :
‘This just goes to show that licensing by a state agency is NOT an answer to preventing abuse and neglect from occurring in these youth programs. Licensing means nothing when no one from that agency is there on a 24/7 basis monitoring these programs.’
That pretty much sums up the entire public school system to me. If you are going to harp on programs that are ‘failing kids’ why not mention doing away with them as well. They hardly ever deliver what they promise too, have had thousands bullied, abused and even killed on their watch. Why leave them out?
True. Today I did read a more complete statement where the program did a least mention extending sympathies to the family. (That’s why I clarified that it could be an omission on the part of the reporter. Generally, expressions of sympathy are the first statement that comes from a program after the death of a student (whether sincere or not) followed by their explanations, excuses or defense of their actions.)
You can hardly compare a public school system to residential programs.
First, public school systems are made up of day schools where the children go home to their families at night, therefore they wouldn’t need monitoring on a 24/7 basis. Residential programs are responsible for children on a 24/7 basis and many times they are located very far away from any family or friends. The kids in these programs are cut off from the world. I don’t know of any schools in the public school systems that work like this.
Second, while I can acknowledge that they have students that bully other students, and on more occasions lately than in the past, some teachers have had inappropriate sexual contact with students, I’m not aware of a teacher killing a student or a student dying due to a teacher’s neglect and/or abuse. I have seen vast improvements in many public schools regarding bullying and teacher/student relationships. With all of that said, there lies the potential for abuse in ALL institutional atmospheres; schools, churches, hospitals, residential programs, etc. However, in my opinion, there is a greater danger in residential programs where children are cut off from the outside world and have no way to contact anyone. That is why the focus of this web site is mostly on residential youth programs that claim to help adolescents. It is too broad of a subject for me to address all of the institutions that exist in the USA. I have picked the one that means the most to me and is in my opinion the most dangerous of all.
My son graduated from SageWalk July 2009. I am so sad and disturbed about learning of this death. I went through an extensive screening process before choosing SageWalk, especially since I am in Ohio and there were many closer programs to me. Everyone there is extremely skilled and talented and loving. It is NOT a boot camp. I believe that An unfortunate confluence of events occuring in this young man’s body just a day into hiking caused his death. I CANNOT believe ANYONE at SageWalk was negligent in any way. They measure all the water given to make sure there is a minimal amount consumed and watch the student consume it. NO ONE is bullied ever or pushed beyond their limits. My son saw more anger and bullying at home with us as distraught parents than he ever saw at SageWalk in 58 days of being there. I just can’t say enough good things about the staff and the program. They have a reverence for both the students personal struggles and journey as well as a reverence for the peace and healing of the wilderness. It was palpable. As parents, my husband and I went into the wilderness mid-program and spent 2 days living as he was living. Yes it was arduous and austere. That’s part of the magic. Getting our son away from from the world of i-pods, video games, raunchy television shows and movies and music, and the cultural messages that say drugs are cool – well, that provided the space in his life and in his head to allow the excellent counselors and therapist to really make inroads into his perception of himself and the world.
This death is a tragedy to be sure. But the good work that SageWalk does should not be brought into question. Knowing the staff and program as I do now from being a consumer, I would not hesitate to make the same decision again today.
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